Secluded Spring Good to be alive.

@Gent
Weather: Heavy snow, +1 degree Celsius.

The four year old male stalked quietly through the brush and vines surrounding the spring. He imagined these plants smelled even more delicious in the spring and summer, but for now their branches collected the heavy, wet snow from the clouds and combed through his fur. He kept his body low to the ground and tried to tread as softly as possible through these branches without slowing to an uncomfortably slow pace. This was usually his hunting stance, prowling on skittish deer and rabbits. But today, he was the hunted. He had not anticipated the alpha male making spar training mandatory to this pack. While he did see the benefit in it, he pompously felt that those rules were best made for younger wolves with no life experience; those who had only begun their pack living. He was a middle-aged wolf who had been in lots of scuffles with wolf, prey, and predator alike. Granted, it had been some time since his last, but he definitely was not in the mood for this training today.

Nonetheless, he was going to be forced into it, so he wanted to do it right. He definitely didn't want his alphas thinking any less of him than he knew he was capable of. That was why he had showed up to their agreed destination cautiously. Had spar training already begun? Were there grounds to when one was going to be attacked first? Or was there supposed to be a breakdown beforehand? He imagined if it was a new wolf, it would be normal to ease them into it. Fighting and rolling in the dirt with siblings was one thing but was another fighting something that truly wanted to maim or kill you. His ears rung with attentiveness as he gingerly placed one paw in front of the other, listening to any bristling in the foliage that did not belong to him or the wind. They did not give much cover due to the lack of leaves, but their thickness aided him in his mission. He could at least be in a better position to receive an attack if he was watching for one. He was comfortable being overcautious.

WHITE FIR Notch

TEMPLATE © NDA OF RCR & RPG-D

(This post was last modified: Apr 06, 2016, 12:47 AM by Merys.)

founding member | 2016

Okay! I'll be putting up the fight request & tagging you in as soon as this is posted; please wait until a roll has been done by a staff member before making your next post, so that you know whether or not Gent's attack was successful. If Merys makes an attack as well, you will need to ask for a roll in the request thread and wait until that one is determined too before posting (that way if he rolls a miss, you can choose to have him do something else). If you have any questions at all, feel free to pm me, or even ask someone in the cbox! (:

Now that the pack was established, it was time to return to routine. Gent would be damned if he was going to let the trio of new recruits fall away from them as the others had. Even @Sylva was worth protecting at this point, despite the massive amount of supervision she was proving to need with her naivety, wandering paws and wildcard tongue. He needed to be sure not only that they had loyalty aplenty within them, but the strength and skill to stand against that which might drag them from their home and life. Vitani's attack on @Raela would never be forgotten, assumptions never be made on others' competence. Especially he really did not know the first thing about them.

Merys was the most enigmatic of the newcomers, and while Gent wasn't sure what to make of the man and the way he had attempted to take lead during the tussle with the bear, he had to hand it to him; the guy had been thrown into a tornado and held on for dear life instead of bailing. Perhaps that was an indication of negative traits, the shade king knew it was unwise to assume, but after what Merys had risked for the pack, he was willing to dole out the benefit of the doubt this time. Now it was time to test the waters, however, and he decided that would start with seeing what kind of brawn the other was hauling around.

Timely as always, he zeroed in on the predetermined location, and as he drew close enough for Merys' frame to materialize within view, a smirk passed briefly over his muzzle. There was no mistaking that slinking posture; the man was preparing himself for an ambush. Once again, he wasn't sure if he should be impressed by the preparation or if this was a sign of lacking trust. Regardless, it boded well for his subordinate's ability.

"Merys," he greeted, trotting closer. "I see you're ready. Let's get to it then, yeah?"

There was little more warning than this and a quick set of instructions; "Don't let me kill you," before Gent launched forward, aiming to take Merys by the scruff and throw him to the ground. If successful, there would not be enough force behind the attack to actually harm the other man; perhaps he might walk away with a bruise or two, but the alpha, as each time before he had done this, would be mindful of all that he did to his pack mate.

(This post was last modified: Apr 07, 2016, 12:29 AM by Gent.)

As the dark alpha came into view, Merys felt momentarily silly for slinking along. He hoped the male had had no inclinations that he was afraid, creeping along the vines by the spring with fear. Because he most definitely was not. The male acknowledged him briefly, and Merys relaxed his body to stand taller with a more confident air. A mistake. The black male barely uttered his intentions before lunging at Merys. Had he had kept his muscles tight and ready for movement, perhaps it would have had a different outcome. Instead, as he moved to regain his guard and avoid the attack, Gent's speed beat him and Merys felt the sharp clamp of his jaws on his scruff. He clenched his teeth, mostly at himself, partially at the pain as the male's body weight threw him onto his side. Where they landed was close to the springs, lined with larger rocks. Being the convenient buffer between Gent's massive bodyweight and the stone, the air was pushed from his lungs, leaving his breathless for a moment. Well, I guess they had started.

The alpha had given him a hard first hit, and as the brown male moved to twist out of his and get his feet underneath him, he only caught loose rocks. He attempted to reach his alpha's shoulder, but stumbled again at the slick snow capped rocks slipping under his back paws, causing his jaws to snap closed over nothing. Annoyance ignited in his brain. The alpha was a large wolf, with the strength behind it.. clearly. Merys had never wanted for more size in his pack, being the larger of most he'd seen. He considered how he would have to beat the male in front of him now. Keeping his temper at bay would be first. "Anger does not compliment a hunter's skillset. He used to tell his team. This was the same. Moves had to be calculated; patience to make the right moves so as to not waste energy. He took a big breath, filling his lungs again, happy to have them back, and found solid ground under his feet. He moved to swivel his haunches away from Gent, giving more strength to his movements so that he could break free from the alpha's jaws once and for all.

Alright. Let's go.

WHITE FIR Notch

TEMPLATE © NDA OF RCR & RPG-D

(This post was last modified: Apr 12, 2016, 05:31 PM by Merys. Edit Reason: Spelling errors. )

founding member | 2016

There is a moose carcass that has been scavenged by coyotes nearby. +15 Health

ugh sorry for being so terrible, let me know if you want to discuss anything/need something changed

Merys' weight gave almost easily beneath the shade king's attack, loudly proclaiming that Gent had been successful in surprising the man. With such a sudden and ample advantage over the other, he was able to keep atop Merys' efforts to strike him back. Already the recruit was in a position to easily be killed by a wolf vicious enough to take any and all hits made available to them, but they wouldn't move onto round two so quickly. The goal here wasn't points, after all, but rather all the experience he could give the man in such limited situations without actually throwing him into harm's way.

Rather than fighting tooth and claw to keep the man limited, Merys' quick, albeit initially wasted, footwork went unhindered by the alpha and when at last the subordinate had garnered a grip upon the land Gent relinquished his own upon his flesh.

"Show me that experience," he goaded lightly; that experience your age should've given you, that your demeanor claims you have. He was reminded of his tussling with Moraxia, how something about her had prodded at a deep primal urge within him to fight and dominate. This was different, Merys clearly knew his place within the pack, but still it was enjoyable to be up against someone who could rival his size once again. Still, his presence provoked him in another way; Gent wanted to test that aloof, professional facade the recruit always seemed to wear.

With the springs limiting Merys' options directly at his heels, Gent lunged forward once more. His intentions were open, paws light in anticipation as unless the other man chose to face him head on, it was equally likely which direction he would spring. If given the opportunity, he would knock Merys back with the brunt of his weight and into the water's shallows. Should Merys stand his ground, the alpha's teeth would seek a gentle hold upon his throat, taking up any jaw sparring this would require.

As the king relinquished his hold on Merys’ scruff, Merys positioned his body into a better position, activating his muscles. His senses became acutely aware of his surroundings, his chest filling with large breaths. He had to turn it on now. It was spar training, right? That meant rank was off of the table, and he was free to fight like he meant it, right? His lips twitched, wanting to raise into a playful snarl, but he pulled them into a mischievous grin. "I’ll show you mine if you show me yours?" he offered to the black king, appreciating his chirp. It felt good to reuse his body for what it was worth; to have them come back to life, thirsty for purpose.

Despite his final readiness, he was still not in an ideal position. While he was more prepared for an attack, the spring still soaked through the small stones and into the fur in between his paws. He would need to get out of here, but as he eyed the large male, he knew that he would not be waiting for Merys to make the next move. The weather didn’t encourage him to opt for a swim today, so he waited. Perhaps the male would leave his feet and he could dart to the side. He considered which way he would prefer to go, but instinct was what pulled him once he saw Gent’s muscles tense before he moved towards him again. They did not have much room between them, but he had been watching this time and was ready to move out of the way as best he could, happily pulling his face into a wrinkled snarl as he opened his jaws and reached for a shoulder once again. He only hoped the male would not catch his haunches too strongly, and if he did, he wished to have his jaws clamped on him. He raised his paws, knowing he would need strength to push the male forward or down towards the spring in an attempt to reverse positions.

WHITE FIR Notch

TEMPLATE © NDA OF RCR & RPG-D

 

founding member | 2016

Merys quipped back, and Gent easily returned the smirk with his own out of amusement. As if this were a jamboree. It truly was enjoyable, however, especially to find a sparring partner that appeared to think the same. Far more fun than wrestling with subordinates who feared the event; sparring with @Sylva, he already anticipated, was going to be a miserable affair. One of many reasons why it was being postponed.

These thoughts emptied from his mind as he made his move, focus renewed and honed in on the purpose of getting Merys into another unfavorable predicament so that he would be forced to find a solution, and quick. As he launched forward, he was conscious of keeping his paws on the ground as much as the quick strides would allow. Where before he had lunged through the air, this time Gent knew his movements would have to be utterly reactive to any and all of Merys' attempts to dodge from him. Only sure and constant footing would allow him to maneuver as he needed to.

This forward thinking paid off as his pack mate did indeed shift his position to avoid the brunt of Gent's momentum.  Led by his seeking jaws, the shade king's body curled and turned to chase after Merys. The gravel of the shoreline shifted and rolled beneath his paws as his weight influenced them, but mountainous living had trained him against fickle ground and his legs were able to successfully brace and navigate what might have floundered another wolf.

Yet as swift as Gent might have been, all of his reactions of course could only happen after Merys', giving the other man that moment ahead needed to successfully clamp his jaws down where intended. It was quite rare that any other wolf was able to put his teeth on the luminary. In fact, he couldn't recall it happening since his rank challenging days in Black Thorn Downs. Instinct rose up into his throat, thoughts simmering underneath the surface of what would be done if this was not just a spar but an actual, aggressive fight. They were easily swept away, however, as Gent was not a wolf who ever left reality.

The lifting of Merys' legs was anticipated, for it was a move that Gent often implemented himself; his own limbs spread to widen his stance and his body lowered, stablizing himself as well as forcing Merys to hold his head lower than his shoulders if he wanted to maintain his grip. With his hind end leading and his cheek braced against Merys', not a moment was wasted in retaliating; the king turned his own body away from the water, attempting to place Merys between himself and it once more. His head and snatched-up shoulder were used to guide Merys' jaws and, as each muscle would be forced to follow, the rest of the subordinate's body.

It was all up to Merys' own retaliation whether Gent would be successful, it would morph into a stalemate of strength, or if he could surprise the king.

The alpha's willingness to not be affected greatly by any of Merys' actions only fuelled him. His commitment to a full spar encouraged Merys not to hold back for his king either. While aggression was kept at bay between the two large males, it was still important to harbour it into assertive and calculated actions. Slow and steady would not win this race. It would be fun having someone to rough around with that he did not have to 'place nice' with. But that was wishful thinking for another time, not now. 

The king's teeth came against Merys' cheek, likely unhappy with the success of his clamp onto the king's shoulder. His landing had been placed high though, and his hold was on the loose skin of his scruff, and while it gave him an easy hold to keep, it would not do much for forcing the king in any direction due to pain. Gent melted underneath him, forcing Merys to follow along, unwilling to release his prize just yet. While unbalanced by the change in elevation, his jaw muscles tightened in order to use his opponent's pulling motion as a means of bracing until his rear legs could find an ideal point again. A jamboree growl emitted once he realized where the alpha was trying to guide him - the bastard! - and halfway to the water, he sat his rump on the ground as a means of friction, attempting to lay his entire body weight back. The water was the last place he wanted to be in this scuffle. It would hopefully be much more difficult for the king to use his body as a pendulum if he was dead weight. 

He leaned back and into the sit and against the gravel, tightening and twisting on the king's scruff. If he wasn't careful, he may pull the king right on top of him, depending on how much pain he could handle, but Merys was banking on the fact that he would not completely crumble onto him. His intent was to pull enough to unbalance the king - a difficult task for the lighter male - just enough so that he could catch his own weight underneath him again and send the dark wolf to the ground in front of him. His second half of his body had put on the brakes and started pumping. 

founding member | 2016

His plan was working, and a smirk spread over his lips, out of sight from Merys' eye. It was becoming clear that the man knew how to use his own bulk, and any further testing would require an aggressiveness that Gent was not willing to use unwarranted on a subordinate. All that could be hoped for at this point was that Merys wouldn't buckle under pressure or fear if the time came for true danger to rear its head. Something about the man told Gent that he'd be just fine regardless. That left this spar of theirs to swiftly develop into something more like a game of who would get the last shove, and the king very much intended for it to be him.

That was, until Merys' hind end hit the ground with a soft wumph and he dug in like a stubborn child. A snort was issued from Gent's muzzle as he ceased his own side stepping, and as the other man began to pull backward he was forced to take a somewhat similar stance. His base widened even further, paws digging deep into the mud and stones as he held his ground against Merys' attempt. The secure grip the man had on his scruff was highly bothersome. Pain had not set in yet, but there was a tingling discomfort both from the submissive position it locked him into and the nerves it pressed upon, tapping into those neonatal instincts his mother had taken advantage of those few weeks she had been present.

And still, he couldn't shake the thought of how it was just a bit ridiculous, the position they were in right now. It started with a shake in his shoulders and chest, and then his head bobbed up and down until at last the laughter spilled out, a deep string of ha ha ha's. Alright. Tug-of-war it would be.

His teeth clicked together as the mirthful sound died, then parted again as his jaws shot forward to take hold of Merys' shoulder. Given the proximity, it was highly unlikely that he would miss. Without piercing skin, his grip would be as secure as he could keep it, and eliminate how far the other man could pull at the loose skin at his nape. His muscles continuously braced, he attempted a step backward to test his power.

Hearing the king's laughter almost startled Merys, unsure at first exactly what was emanating from his chest. He couldn't say that he had ever heard the black wolf so much as chuckle before today. Nevertheless, it had been a comforting cue in the midst of all of .. this. In a way it took a load off of the seriousness of the situation, which is what Merys had been sure he was walking into. Though at the same time, he knew that he would be playing for keepsies, and without a doubt, so would Gent. 

While his quick bandaid of a solution for not getting thrown in the pond seemed to have definitely slowed him down, Merys had not been too sure where to go when he realized he would not be able to unbalance the heavy ebon. Luckily, the brute did not give him much time for contemplation and he jaws snapped at his own scruff and landed their mark. Well, he was right about one thing, this would be a foolish to stumble across. The large males gallantly tugging at each other's scruffs to throw the other in the pool. I mean, it was snowing. Hard. Nobody wanted to get thrown in that water. He let out a muffled growl as he felt the skin over his shoulders tighten in his jaws. Once more, the alpha gave a tug of his own, and Merys felt the strength under the massive body. Their whole system shifted. He would not be able to out-tug the alpha. His deadweight was the only thing keeping him on par with the wolf's strength, not his own pulling. Where could he go from here?

After a couple of non-successful tugs that only proved to move the entire system together, Merys was blanking on a humane way to get the upper hand without shifting his teeth to a more delicate area. The broody three year old wanted to teach him defence training, after all. He had mass, he did. He wasn't a fool, no. But surely Merys could find some way to get him off his back so he could go back to being in peace, and be trusted enough that he could hold his own (and even protect others if he had to), thank you very much. His brown eyes travelled downwards, there had to be something..

Their minor travels had brought them closer to the spring after all, which initially was thought not to be ideal. Though it did give a bit of change in scenery with different zeitgebers.. If he could just reach his rear legs to that rock.. Merys jerked at the male a couple times, though they were nothing instigating, as though he were still checking the grips of their jaws again. Just enough to shimmy his back end closer to the water. He would have to move quickly, otherwise the king would have a chance to barrel him backwards and plow him straight into the water. Once he felt it, Merys did his best to beat the king to the kill. His rear legs braced against a larger stone that lined the edge of the spring, a heavier one that did not give way like the snowy gravel beneath them. He recoiled slightly, then pushed off with as much force as he could manage. He was attempting to shove the king back, hopefully encouraging him to release Merys' scruff. If they both managed to hold on, they would end up going for a tumble. Though if he didn't have enough strength to unsettle the younger male's center of gravity, the king would be in an excellent position to take advantage of the final plight of his push once there was no 'push' left.

founding member | 2016